Shellfish drag



Feb. 11 1964 A. E. GOODWIN SHELLFISH DRAG Filed May 31, 1962 INVENTOR. ARTHUR E. GOOOW/N xii ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,120,714 SHELLFISH DRAG Arthur E. Goodwin, PA). Box 405, 543 Riverside Drive, Allandale, Fla. Filed May 31, 1962, Ser. No. 198,970 2 Claims. (Cl. 439) This invention relates to apparatus for gathering shellfish, particularly scallops, from the ocean bottom. In particular, it relates to shellfish scoops or drags having improved stability and ability to hug the ocean fioor.

Conventional shellfish scoops and drags prior to the present invention have suffered from several shortcomings. For example, the tow line of a conventional scoop must be kept at an angle usually greater than 45 from the towing vessel in order to maintain proper control over the position of the scoop and to insure that the scoop contacts the ocean floor at all times. Large and elaborate winches and other gear are required to accommodate the necessarily long tow line, thus rendering such an operation impractical for a small boat. The tow line is conventionally attached to points on the front and rear of the drag by means of a split or bridle hitch having two fixed short lengths of line from the main tow line. This arrangement necessarily fixes in turn the optimum angle at which the drag must be towed and the optimum depth at which it may be operated in order to assure that the drag remains horizontal. The natural tendency to rise of the drag while it is being towed limits the speed of the operation and makes time-consuming the process of lowering the drag to the ocean floor. Sometimes a weight is attached to the scoop to overcome this problem, but the weight itself may create an unbalanced condition or render a tipped or snagged scoop more difiicult to right.

The tendency of the conventional scoop or drag to topple on its side or even upside down and thereafter resist efforts to right it is one of the most serious shortcomings of shellfish scoops heretofore. In many cases the scoop cannot be righted without withdrawing it from the water. A large portion of the catch may be lost in this process or by the toppling itself. The conventional scoops inability to free itself from snags can cause great inconvenience and delay, as well as a possible broken tow line resulting in loss of the scoop and its catch.

In the case of drag nets, which are generally handled by two lines, one on each side of the boat, terminating in blocks, scoops or the like attached to either side of the net, much the same shortcomings exist with respect to the block or scoop on each end of the net.

I have invented a shellfish scoop which overcomes all of the above problems and has additional advantages which will be apparent to those familiar with the art from the description to follow. My apparatus may be used by large and small operators alike. It will recover all types of shellfish living on the ocean floor including, for example, scallops, oysters, and even shrimp. My apparatus may be lowered to the ocean floor with heretofore unheard of speed, with the assurance that it will remain in an upright position and free from line entanglements. It may be towed by a line kept at a much smaller angle than heretofore possible, thus permitting the use of a smaller and lighter winch and associated gear, and hence permitting the use of smaller boats. My scoop at all times hugs the ocean fioor, and indeed is able to do so with perhaps more reliability when it is towed relatively fast. It is able to right itself immediately if it should topple, and is much superior in its ability to free itself from obstructions. It can readily be used on either side of a drag net.

A preferred embodiment of my invention will be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the preferred scoop,

showing the stabilizer and diving fins. elevational view of the same scoop.

In FIG. 1, the scoop comprises a metal frame comprising runners and 2, screen frame supports 3, 4-, and 5, and stabilizer supports 6, 7, and 8. Bottom crossbar 9 is provided with scoop fingers It), and there is a space open over it to permit entrance of shellfish to the interior of the scoop, which is enclosed by screen 11. A vertical FIG. 2. is a side fin or rudder I2 is attached to the frame at convenient points 13 and 14. Y-supports 6 and 8, which are part of the metal frame, support a buoy or stabilizer 15 which is, in this case, a wooden block. Welded to vertical fin 12 are diving fin I6 and horizontal stabilizing fin 17. It will be noted that the forward, or diving fin 16 is inclined at a greater angle than rear, or horizontal stabilizing fin 17. A fin strut 18 may support the fins above and another strut 19 may support them below.

The diving fin 16 may be set at whatever angle is deemed advantageous depending on the weight of the scoop, the depth of the ocean bed, the speed of the tow ing vessel, and so forth. The angle of the diving fin may be made adjustable. However, I prefer to use a fixed angle or pitch approximately that shown in the drawings. The rear or horizontal stabilizer fin 17, if of the same area as the diving fin, should be set at a slightly lesser angle than the diving fin. This will ensure that the front of the scoop tends to remain on the ocean floor, while also ensuring that the rear end will not rise. Although the rear fin is not essential, a far more stable operation will be obtained if it is installed and used in the preferred manner. The rear or horizontal stabilizer fin 17 may be set at the same angle as the diving fin or greater if it is of a lesser area. The preferred variation is as shown, in which the two fins are about the same area, the rear fin being of a lesser angle. Vertical rudder 12 is not an essential part of my invention, and may be attached elsewhere or not at all. Of course, the fins 16 and 17 must be anchored directly to the frame or other part if the rudder is omitted. The screen 11 which encloses the scoop chamber except in the front should be able to retain the shellfish sought and permit water and smaller articles to pass with a minimum of resistance. Such screening or netting is known in the art. The screen or net may be set on a removable frame of its own which fits snugly into the main frame of the scoop.

Stabilizer 15 may be any means lighter than ocean water. It should be placed higher than the center of gravity of the scoop as a whole, and should be sufiicient to right the scoop if laid on its side on the ocean floor. Obviously, if the stabilizer is close to the net, it must possess a great degree of buoyancy, either by virtue of size or material, to right the scoop. However, the buoyancy should not be so great as to float the entire scoop.

Although such a stabilizer is operable with the proper diving fins, I have found that a stabilizer which will float the entire apparatus introduces other factors of instability which are undesirable. I prefer a wooden block or hollow metal or plastic tank as the stabilizer, located in the relation shown in the drawings. Two or more blocks or tanks may be used. Smaller stabilizers may be located at greater distances from the main frame of the apparatus, but care must be taken in placing such distant stabilizers, as weaknesses in the frame structure and increased water resistance are introduced. It is preferable for the stabilizer to have a more or less streamlined shape.

My scoop may be towed from a single point, such as the fork of Y-support 6, or from two points in the same approximate horizontal plane such as at points 19 and 20. Lines attached at these points may be connected a few feet in front of the scoop and proceed from there to the towing vessel. It is not recommended that my device be towed from two points on the fore and aft portions,

since my scoop has been designed to overcome the disadvantages of the conventional scoop outlined above. The metal frame illustrated in the drawings may be designed to accommodate a removable mesh or basket to facilitate removal of the catch.

It is to be distinctly understood that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are the presently preferred variations of my invention. It may be otherwise variously embodied and practised within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shellfish drag comprising:

(a) a rigid frame having affixed thereto a shellfishretaining device having a forward opening;

(17) a rear diving fin attached to said frame and set at a shallow diving angle;

(c) a forward diving fin attached to said frame at an angle slightly greater than said rear diving fin; and

(d) means lighter than ocean water mounted on said frame near the top thereof, having a buoyancy at least sufficient to right said drag when on its side but insufficient to float the entire drag.

2. A shellfish-gathering device comprising:

(a) a rigid frame;

(b) a shellfish-retaining scoop mounted on said frame and having an open forward end;

(c) a rear diving fin attached to said frame;

(d) a forward diving fin attached to said frame at an angle slightly steeper than said rear diving fin; and

(e) means lighter than ocean water mounted on said frame near the top thereof having a buoyancy at least sufficient to right said device when on its side.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,320,804 Squarebriggs Nov. 4, 1919 2,684,549 Olden July 27, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 141,355 Australia May 23, 1951 112,673 Great Britain Jan. 22, 1913 

1. A SHELLFISH DRAG COMPRISING: (A) A RIGID FRAME HAVING AFFIXED THERETO A SHELLFISHRETAINING DEVICE HAVING A FORWARD OPENING; (B) A REAR DIVING FIN ATTACHED TO SAID FRAME AND SET AT A SHALLOW DIVING ANGLE; (C) A FORWARD DIVING FIN ATTACHED TO SAID FRAME AT AN ANGLE SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN SAID REAR DIVING FIN; AND (D) MEANS LIGHTER THAN OCEAN WATER MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME NEAR THE TOP THEREOF, HAVING A BUOYANCY AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO RIGHT SAID DRAG WHEN ON ITS SIDE BUT INSUFFICIENT TO FLOAT THE ENTIRE DRAG. 